Revolving door assembly quick disconnect connector



Oct. 21, 1969 A. E. SHECKELLS 3,473,261

REVOLVIN DOOR ASSEMBLY QUICK DISCONNECT CONNECTOR Filed Aug. 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR AMUEL E. SHECKELLS Oct. 21, 1969 A. E. SHECKELLS 3,473,261

REVOLVING DOOR ASSEMBLY QUICK DISCONNECT CONNECTOR Filed Aug. 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR v AMUEL E. SHECKELLS ATTORNEYS United States Patent f Cl. EGSd /02; E061) 3/90 lint. US. Cl. 49-43 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A quick disconnect connector between the base end of a revolving door shaft and the revolving door speed control device mounted beneath the floor of the revolving door enclosure comprising a stub shaft connected to the hub of the main speed control gear and extending upwardly and terminating in an upper face having a polygonal shaped recess into which a corresponding polygonal shaped end portion of the revolving door shaft, which extends downwardly from a shoulder portion on the shaft, is removably inserted. A ring having a corresponding polygonal shaped bore is slidably mounted on the polygonal shaped end portion of the shaft between the shoulder portion and stub shaft and is provided with a plurality of downwardly extending torque pins which slip-fit into bores in the upper face of the stub shaft whereby the revolving door assembly is quickly disconnected from the speed control device merely by raising the door shaft a slight amount and then raising the ring by substantially the same slight amount.

Cross-reference to related application This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Serial No. 587,083, filed October 17, 1966, by Amuel E. Sheckells for Stub Shaft Connection for a Revolving Door Assembly, now Patent No. 3,403,571.

Background of the invention This invention relates to a detachable connector between a revolving door assembly and the speed control device mounted in the floor beneath the revolving door assembly which is coupled to the revolving door shaft to govern the speed of the revolving door. The mentioned copending application discloses a quick disconnect connector for use with revolving door installations where the speed control device is mounted either above the door in the ceiling or beneath the floor under the revolving door shaft. The present invention pertains to a quick disconnect connector for use only with revolving door assemblies where the speed control is mounted in the floor beneath the door shaft.

Connectors of this general type have been known in the art, such as evidenced by Patent 1,015,491, to E. C. Haviland for Motor Gearing for Revolving Doors, issued January 23, 1912, which discloses a coupling socket on the end of the revolving door shaft having a tapered square recess formed therein to receive a correspondingly tapered end of a shaft extending upwardly in gearing beneath the floor. In the prior art device the shaft must extend into the coupling socket a substantial amount to provide sufficient torque transmitting connection between the shaft and the door. For instance the shaft must protrude into the coupling socket, at least one inch or more, in order to provide sufficient surface connection between the members to transmit the necessary torque between the members without braking the connecting members.

This arrangement was fine in the older type revolving doors where the air seal around the door was more massive 3,473,261 Patented Oct. 21, 1969 and not as efficient as the modern designs of today. However, with the modern-day revolving door designs, where the doors are designed to make them aesthetically attractive, by reducing the exposed width of the air seals around the revolving door wings which extend into friction contact with the ceiling, floor and walls of the revolving door enclosure, there is approximately only a half inch air gap between the top edge of the revolving door wings and the ceiling line, and this small air gap is taken up by a compressible resilient air seal connected to the door wings and in sliding contact with the ceiling as the revolving door assembly is rotated. T o disconnect the revolving door assembly from the speed control beneath the fioor for maintenance on either the revolving door assembly or the speed control, the modern door designs present an appreciable problem because there is not sufficient space between the top of the door wings and the ceiling to raise the revolving door assembly the minimum one inch amount necessary to disconnect the coupling socket connection of the mentioned prior art patent.

The revolving door art was thus in great need of a new quick disconnect connector for revolving door installations where the speed control is mounted beneath the floor line of the revolving door enclosure which provides the necessary torque transmission connection between the door shaft and the speed control and which enables the revolving door assembly to be disconnected from the speed control without appreciable movement of the revolving door assembly, since the revolving door assembly, because of the small width of air seal at the tops of the wings, can only be raised approximately one-quarter inch to three-eighths of an inch maximum by compressing the top air seals.

Summary of the invention The detachable connector of the present invention solves the mentioned need in the art by providing a quick disconnect connector in which there is at least a one inch torque transmitting overlap socket connection between the lower end of the revolving door shaft and a shaft extending upwardly through the floor from the speed control device, which connection requires only approximately onequarter inch upward axial movement of the revolving door assembly to quickly disconnect the assembly from the speed control device. This is accomplished by a stub shaft connected to the hub of the main gear in the speed control device and extending upwardly, and terminating in a face portion approximately at the finished floor line of the revolving door enclosure. A recess which is square in cross-section is formed in the upper face of the stub shaft flanked by plural bores in the face portion on opposite sides of the recess. The lower end of the revolving door shaft, for a distance of approximately one inch, is of square cross-section dimension, corresponding to the recess in the stub shaft, and the revolving door shaft provides a shoulder at the transition of the square end portion thereof into the normal shaft configuration. A connector ring having a square bore therethrough is disposed in sliding engagement on the square end portion of the revolving door shaft and is provided with plural connecting pins depending from the lower face thereof which protrude into the plural bores in the stub shaft as the square end of the revolving door shaft protrudes into the axial recess of the stub shaft. Since the connecting ring is approximately three-quarters of an inch in dimension, the end of the revolving door shaft and the connecting pins protrude into the respective recess and bores approximately one-quarter inch. Therefore, to disconnect the revolving door assembly from the speed control it is only necessary to raise the revolving door assembly, consisting of the door wings and center shaft, by approximately one-quarter inch, causing the end of the shaft to slip out of the stub shaft recess, and then slip the connecting ring upwardly on the shaft to disengage the connecting pins from the respective stub shaft bores, thus freeing the revolving door assembly from the speed control device for removal of either apparatus.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional View partly in elevation, showing the connector of the invention connecting the revolving door shaft to a speed control device in its housing beneath the floor of the revolving door enclosure;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the revolving door assembly raised and the connector of the invention in disconnected position for removal of the speed control device;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the speed control device in the housing beneath the floor, with parts omitted for clarity, with the view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the quick disconnect connector connecting the revolving door shaft to the speed control device; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the connector of the invention and a fragmentary end of the revolving door shaft, shown on a reduced scale.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings in greater detaila speed control device 1, such as of the type disclosed in Patent No. 3,307,660, issued to Amuel E. Sheckells, on March 7, 1967, for Revolving Door Speed Control Device, is mounted in floor housing 2 by means of adjustable bolts 3. Housing 2 is connected in the floor beneath the finished floor line 4 and beneath the revolving door enclosure, with the housing being provided with a removable cover 5 and an overlying removable cover plate 6 which protrudes somewhat above the finished floor line.

As shown in FIG. 4, a main gear 7 which is part of the speed control gear train, is rotatably mounted within the speed control device 1, by means of antifriction bearing 8.

A stub shaft 9 is provided with a lower end portion 10 having a key slot 10a therein and the lower end is adapted to be slipped into the hub portion 11 of main gear 7, which hub portion is provided with cooperating key slots 11a, and the stub shaft is locked into position in the hub portion by means of a key 12, such as a Woodrutf key, or the like, connected in the key slots 10:; and 11a so that the stub shaft is connected for rotation with main gear 7. A shoulder portion 23 on stub shaft 9 contacts the top portion of main gear 7 to transfer the load supported by the stub shaft to gear 7 and bearing 8.

The other end of stub shaft 9 extends upwardly through the removable cover members .13 and 14 of the speed control device 1 where the flange 15 of the stub shaft engages bearing 16 supported by cover member 13, which also supports oil seal 17 disposed in sliding contact with the outer circumference of the stub shaft. The stub shaft is thus arranged to rotate with the main gear 7 of the speed control device. The upper end of stub shaft 9 also extends through removable floor cover housing 5 and terminates in an upper surface 18 positioned substantially in the plane of the finished floor line line 4, FIGURE 1.

The upper surface 18 of stub shaft 9 is provided with a central axial recess 19 which is polygonal in cross-section and preferably square in cross-section. The upper surface 18 is also provided with a plurality of parellel bores 20 symmetrically spaced about the square cross-sectioned recess 19 as particularly shown in FIG. 5. The axes of the bores 20 are disposed parallel with the common axis of stub shaft 9 and recess 19.

Revolving door shaft 21 terminates in a square crosssectioned end portion 22, FIGS. 4 and 5, which is proportioned for a substantially snug slip-fitting engagement in axial recess 19 of the stub shaft. By way of example, the sqare cross-sectioned end portion 22 of the revolving door shaft is at least one inch in length and the diagonal of the square cross-sectioned portion is preferably equal to the diameter of the revolving door shaft 21. The revolving door wings shown in fragmentary phantom, in FIGS. 1 and 2, at 24, are connected to and carried by revolving door shaft 21. Shaft 21 provides a shoulder portion or flange 25 at the transition of the preferably circular crosssectioned revolving door shaft 21 with the square crosssectioned end portion 22.

A connector ring 26 having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of stub shaft 9 and preferably greater than the diameter of revolving door shaft 21 15 provided with a square cross-sectioned bore 27 extending therethrough with the bore being proportioned the same as axial recess 19. A plurality of connector or lock pins 28. preferably four in number, are firmly connected in bores in the bottom surface of ring 26 and are symmetically positioned about bore 27 to depend from the bottom surface of the ring, a predetermined amount, such as in the range of one-eighth inch to one-half inch, and preferably by approximately one-quarter inch.

End portion 22 of door shaft 21 is slip-fitted through bore 27 of connector ring 26 and when the quick disconnect connector is assembled the lower surface of ring 26 overlies and abuts upper surface 18 of the stub shaft, the lock pins 28 extend in slip-fitting engagement into the correspondingly spaced parallel bores 20 of the stub shaft by the predetermined amount and preferably by approximately one-quarter inch, and the end of end portion 22 protruding through the lower end of connector ring bore 27 extends into the stub shaft recess 19 by substantially the same predetermined amount as pins 28 and preferably by approximately one-quarter inch. In this position the weight of the revolving door assembly carried by shaft 21 is transferred through shoulder portion 25 to ring 26 to maintain lock pins 28 in engagement with bores 20, and the door Weight is then transferred through stub shaft 19 and flange 23 thereof to gear 7 and bearing 8 of the speed control device. The weight of the door thus maintains the quick disconnect stubv shaft in connected and locked position. With the ring locked to the top of the stub shaft by pins 28 the end of the revolving door shaft in effect extends into a cup-shaped coupling by at least one inch. The transfer of torque from the revolving door to the speed control and/ or from the speed control, when it is motordriven, to the revolving door shaft is accomplished through the connection of pins 28 in bores 20 and the mating of the square cross-sectioned end portion 22 of the door shaft with the correspondingly cross-sectioned bore 27 and axial recess 19.

To disconnect the revolving door assembly from the control device, so that for instance the speed control device can be removed from floor housing 2 for maintenance, keeping in mind that there is only a half inch clearance-between the top of the door wings and the ceiling which is taken up with a compressible air seal so that the door assembly can be raised only approximately three-eighths of an inch, the dust cover assembly 29 is first unscrewed at 30 from removable cover 5 and slipped up on the revolving door shaft 21 and then covers 5 and 6 are removed to open the top of the floor housing 2. The entire revolving door assembly, comprising the door Wings 24 and door shaft 21 is then raised up by any one of a variety of ways, a distance of approximately one-quarter inch, causing the end of door shaft end portion 22 to axially slip out of engagement with recess 19 of stub shaft 9. In this position, there is now a onequarter inch gap between shoulder portion 25 and the top of ring 26. The ring 26 is then slipped up on end portion 22 into abutment with shoulder portion 25, which causes the ends of lock pins 28 to slip out of bores 20 and thus disengage from the stub shaft. In this position the revolving door assembly is completely disconnected from the stub shaft and speed control device 1 merely by lifting the door assembly in the range of one-eighth to three-eighths inch, and preferably one-quarter inch,

depending upon the distance the members extend into each other. The adjustable bolts 3 are then loosened to disconnect speed control device 1 from housing 2 and the speed control device 1 is then slid to one side from beneath shaft 21 and the raised ring 26 as shown in FIG. 2, and then tilted up and removed from the housing 2 for maintenance. The door wing assembly could also be removed for maintenance separate from the speed control device, if desired, by this same disconnect operation.

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible Within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a revolving door assembly having a revolving door shaft with a shaped lower end portion and a floor mounted speed control device having a gear with a hub, a detachable connector comprising a stub shaft connected at one end to the hub of the gear in the speed control device to support the weight of the revolving door, the opposite end of said stub shaft having a shaped axial recess therein in axial alignment with and adapted to receive the correspondingly shaped lower end portion of the revolving door shaft, connector means having a bore slidably engaging the shaped lower end portion of the revolving door shaft, at least a pair of pin members connected to and depending from said connector means, and said opposite end of said stub shaft having at least a pair of bores slidably receiving said pin members whereby the revolving door may be easily disconnected from the speed control device without appreciable movement of the revolving door by axially raising the revolving door shaft a slight distance and slidably raising said connector means substantially the same slight distance.

2. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 1 in which said shaped lower end portion of said revolving door shaft, said shaped axial recess and the bore of said connector means are cooperatively polygonal shaped in cross-section.

3. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 2 in which said polygonal shaped cross-sections are substantially square in shape.

4. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 1 in which said connector means is a ring member having a lower face portion disposed in abutment with said opposite end of said stub shaft.

5. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 1 in which said at least a pair of pin members are connected to said connector means on diametrically opposite sides of said bore, and said pin members disposed substantially parallel with said axial recess in said stub shaft.

6. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 5 in which said at least a pair of pin members comprise four pin members substantially symmetrically spaced about said bore, and said at least a pair of bores in said stub shaft comprise four substantially parallel bores spaced on said opposite end correspondingly to said four pin members to axially receive said pin members.

7. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 4 in which said shaped lower end portion of said revolving door shaft has a shoulder portion spaced inwardly from the end thereof, said ring member having an upper face portion, and said upper face portion of said ring member connected in abutment with said shoulder portion to support the weight of the revolving door whereby the weight of the revolving door maintains the pin members of said ring member in locking engagement with the bores of said stub shaft.

8. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 6 in which said pin members and said shaped lower end portion of the revolving door shaft respectively protrude distances in the range of one-eighth to one-half inch into the said parallel bores and shaped axial recess in said stub shaft.

9. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 1 in which said opposite end of said stub shaft is substantially in the plane of the floor whereby the stub shaft and revolving door shaft are axially connected together substantially in the plane of the floor.

10. A detachable connector as set forth in claim 7 in which the diameter of said ring member is greater than the diameter of said shoulder portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,015,491 1/1912 Haviland 49-32 1,514,851 11/1924 Gormley 49-43 1,814,836 7/1931 Lederman 6410 2,053,875 9/1936 Pedersen 49-43 2,128,531 8/1938 Hagenbook 49-43 2,494,639 1/ 1950 Yates.

2,863,308 12/1958 Flood 64-10 3,307,660 3/ 1967 Sheckells 49-43 X 3,364,620 1/1968 Hess et a1 49-43 3,372,604 3/1968 Perry 74-421 3,403,571 10/ 1968 Sheckells 49-43 X DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 64-10 

